vintageHIWATTconvention.com

The good doctor recently sent me his #903 DR103, because it was not behaving like a normal Hiwatt, it seemed quieter to him. Tonight I figured out why: It has a Fender/Marshall style tone stack! Not the earlier CP-style and not the standard "classic Hiwatt" stack. This also has the shared V1 cathodes and the V2 cathode follower like many sub-1000 S/Ns.

This one does not even drive the power amp to full power (sub clipping) until the preamp is on '7' or so, and power amp doesn't start distorting until it gets to 6 or 7. When you crank it, though, it has a very gnarly "Mar-watt" or "Hi-shall" hybrid tone, very tasty.

Note that we've seen earlier S/Ns with the "classic" Hiwatt stack, so this one might have been a custom "one off" for a specific customer.

--mark

mhuss wrote: Note that we've seen earlier S/Ns with the "classic" Hiwatt stack, so this one might have been a custom "one off" for a specific customer.

Very cool! Is there any info on this specific customer?

Reporting from Bourbon Street,
Dave

I wish I knew who requested this amp.

I kept scratching my head with this one. I couldn't find anything wrong with it, but it didn't sound "right".

I was afraid that it had a dying OT.

Thanks Professor!

Is this the one you found near New Malden?

edit: Found the pics you sent. It's the one with the White Selector Knob Mod. I remember thinking the tone pot wiring looked a little... different.

Yes, this one never made it too far from home.

Hybrids ruin the race. Destroy it to preserve music purity. Send it to a concentrated camp....

Mike

PS "Heil!" "Heil!" "Heel!"